Fjarå: Old Norse for ebb
Situated in an unexpected location on the waterfront on Sea Road, Lerwick, Shetland's new espresso bar, Fjarå, launched last month.
The brain child of joint business partners Jonathan Williams and Denis Leask, Fjarå hopes to offer Shetland something a little different; a new concept in an old Shetland way.
Large windows offer sea views over to the island of Bressay and out to the open sea (not pictured as it was night time when I first visited!). Sitting on a comfortable leather couch, hot coffee in hand and a generous slice of home made cake waiting for you on the stylish, shiny black coffee table, you can watch the sea birds and seals play outside, only a few metres away.
The staff at Fjarå pride themselves on making everything in house using as much local produce as they can, from tapas, to cakes, scones, salads and even ice cream. They always have a gluten free option available, and kids under two eat for free.
They don't have a dedicated children's menu, but will make what ever your child wants if they have the ingredients available.
A sea theme is present throughout the decor of the premises, with port holes in an arched wooden door leading to a large dining table (where our group ate our delicious Christmas dinner - pictured below). Both coffee tables have Jonathan's own unique designs printed on to them - a jelly fish motif on one and a stylish octopus tentacle on the other.
An oak beamed ceiling and mixed wooden and flagstone floors add to the atmosphere of the place, as does the feature stone wall with its coffee mugs and wine racks.
Fully licensed, Fjarå is open from 8 am to 10 pm. They hope to attract breakfast customers to try out their new all-in-one bacon rolls and those looking for somewhere to go and relax (with children too!) after the rest of the cafes close at 5 pm in the centre of town.
Yell born and bred, Jonathan attended Glasgow University, graduating with a joint honours in environmental politics and Scottish history. He worked for Tesco for 18 months before moving to London, working at Fortnum & Mason's, the Queens grocers. There he gained experience running the food hall, the chocolate counter, the confectionery counter and the meat and fish counter.
On a return visit to Shetland, Dennis approached Jonathan to discuss business ideas, and the rest is history!
Opening a cafe is a dream come true for Jonathan and he has hopes of franchising on the mainland.
"We have a great team; I am very impressed with them!"
Staff at Fjarå make their own range of cocktails, each with Jonathan's own unique twist. He has kindly shared his mojito recipe with A Taste of Shetland.
Fjarå will reopen after the New Year holidays on the 3rd of January. You can find them on Facebook for regular menu and opening hour updates and on their website.
Fjara Mojito
Course: Main
Servings: 1 Mojito
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Ingredients:
- Lime wedges - 6-8
- Mint leaves - 8-12
- Crushed ice -
- Sugar syrup - 20 ml (see recipe notes)
- Bacardi - 50 ml
- Soda water -
- Mint leaves - (to garnish)
Instructions:
- Combine lime wedges and mint in a tall glass and muddle to release their aroma. A muddle is a wooden tool similar to a pestle used to mash (muddle) the ingredients and flavours together.
- Fill the glass with crushed ice.
- Add the sugar syrup and Bacardi and churn ( slowly stir as if you were folding the ingredients for a cake).
- Top with soda water, if desired, more crushed ice and mint leaves to garnish.
The mojito originated in Cuba.
The date of its creation is debated; a popular theory is that Sir Francis Drake created a version of the drink in the 1500s called El Draque.
Muddling the limes releases the juice from the flesh and the oils from the zest, while the cells in the mint are crushed, releasing their fresh aroma.
To make a sugar syrup, combine two parts sugar to one part water. Bring to the boil, stirring constantly, to dissolve the sugar. Allow to cool and thicken.
Elizabeth Atia
I am a self taught home cook, feeding my family on the west side of Shetland with as much local produce, flavour and love as I can. I am no expert by any means, but I do enjoy learning and writing about food, flavours and techniques.